Nancy Floyd

To start, tell us about yourself. What’s your background & how did you get into making art?
I grew up in a small town in Texas between Houston and Galveston on the Gulf coast. My childhood summers played a big part in my artmaking as my parents both worked and we kids were left to entertain ourselves. I should note that we were not left alone; League City was a small town and our neighbors kept an eye on us. But there was no daily schedule. This allowed me time to think about ways to entertain myself and then act upon them. Making things came naturally. Among other things, I wrote short stories, plays, and tv commercials, produced art out of Elmer’s glue, and made sculptures out of metal parts my dad brought home from his machinist job. One summer my parents paid for painting lessons. On occasion my dad would let me use his Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Camera and when I was twelve years old, I received my first camera, a Kodak Instamatic, for Christmas.

What are you currently working on? Describe your most recent body of work.
WALKING THROUGH THE DESERT WITH MY EYES CLOSED reflects on the experience of walking, the passage of time, and loss. The work springs from concern for our public lands, the loss of my parents, and my love of hiking in the desert. WALKING comprises still photographs, video recordings and three-dimensional objects, primarily set in Death Valley National Park.

Where do you find inspiration when starting a new body of work?
New work comes about organically. I take an interest in an idea or an aspect of my life’s experiences and slowly begin to research and make work. Over time, a project may or may not come to fruition. There are many starts and stops. Many failures.

Do you work in distinct projects or do you take a broader approach to your practice?
To date I’ve been a project-oriented artist. While I currently have a few smaller bodies of work I hope to eventually show, perhaps even a few stand-alone pieces, my mind will eventually default back to long term projects.

Describe a day in your studio. What is your schedule like, how do you divide your time?
When I was teaching, my time in production varied wildly from being away from the studio for months to working all weekend and much of school breaks full time. Since retiring from my day job, my time is flexible. Now I go in my studio when I feel like it, which is most days.

What are some of the challenges you have experienced in your practice?
My challenges are similar to most artists: financial support for art production, time, and getting my work in front of artworld gatekeepers.